Tanwyn Angharad
* (Liberators-830B, Temporary)|citizenship = * |aliases = "The Knight of Rebellion"|occupation_or_professional_title = Paladin|predecessor = Marcus Tristan|current_status = Active|First_appearance = Story: The Sword of Selection|classifiation = Type-II}} Paladin Angharad is a member of The Mantle of The Bright Star currently serving as an exchange officer in L-830B as part of their alliance with the Liberators Coalition. History Child Tanwyn Angharad was born in Aberystwyth, Wales in the year 2002. Born to a single mother out of wedlock, and later joined by two younger step-sisters from different fathers, Tanwyn grew up relatively poor and wound up being the de-facto head of the family at an early age. Not knowing the identity of her father any more than her mother did, she was unaware of her heritage until the age of nine, when she encountered a small phial of Areum during a science fair at her primary school. Once she discovered her affinity for Areum and thus her identity as a Type-II, she applied to join The Mantle of The Bright Star as part of their sponsorship initiative. This initiative, an outgrowth of the ancient apprenticeship system, provided her with education and training, with her family receiving a stipend, in return for her committing to a period of obligatory service as a Paladin after the completion of her training and studies. Page Angharad's years as a page were difficult. While the Knights Illuminor had become more secular over the years, there was still a pervasive religious influence, made all the stronger by the presence and mixture of all the Abrahamic religions due to the decision in the 1950s to allow non-Catholics to join. Being an illegitimate bastard in the eyes of the more conservative faction alienated her from the Paladins faction, while the Templars faction ostracized her for being a magus and thus a representation of the repressive magus dominated hierarchy. Her status as a "new-blood" prevented her from finding friends among the children of the noble families, who she quickly dubbed "Janissaries" much to their outrage. The name became popular among the "new-bloods," and even wound up being used in official documents by the Knight Commander responsible for the running of their seminary, which became the first and most enduring justification for the unofficial epithet of "Heresy Incarnate" that would continue to haunt her for the rest of the time there. Once she and the other pages reached ten years old, they began the long and arduous process of matrix inscription upon their bodies, with two massive rune arrays being carved into their chest and back to enhance thier bodies magically. At age thirteen she graduated from the primus seminary and entered the year of monastarial life that pages endure to become squires. Squire The life of a squire involves rigorous exercise, intensive education with a focus on religion, military history and tactics, and Ars Magus theory should the squire be on the Paladin track of advancement (essentially, be a wizard). It, more importantly, marks the second phase of runic matrix inscription on the bodies of the squires, with the full matrix being extended to cover their entire torso with the corresponding increase in functions and effectiveness. The arts were also prioritized, with calligraphy and metalworking being prominent so as to later serve as the foundation of the later artisan work that goes into the creation of the Knights distinctive weapons and armor. To make matters worse, her status as a naturally gifted magus landed her a position at the most conservative of secundus seminaries usually reserved for Janissaries. Not unexpectedly, Angharad managed to further besmirch her already dismal reputation by often openly questioning the Elders teaching her classes, which was considered to be (and was, in part) insolence. This came to a head when she brought both The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man to class and proceeded to read them instead of the approved textbook. A public censuring and several weeks on stable duty later, she had acquired the second of her unofficial titles, "The Walking Blasphemy." By this point, it was mainly the fact that the Mantle of The Bright Star values magi so highly that was keeping Angharad from being excommunicated. She was not especially skilled in any of the subjects to be valued due to her own merit, and was roughly in the middle of the pack in terms of skill and general. What kept the Elders from demanding her removal was the simple fact that she was a healthy, Type-II female, who was under contract to stay in the service of the Knights Illuminor well past her childbearing years, and thus would likely marry a fellow Knight at some point and thus increase the number of magi being born directly into the noble families and thus the service of the Mantle. This changed however on the day that her class went through the Trial of Affinity, one of the Thirteen Trials of Knighthood that a squire must complete to be dubbed a full-fledged Knight of Illuminor. During the rather eventful Trial, the fourteen-year-old outcast unexpectedly came into contact with an ancient Legacy Weapon in the deep vaults which selected her as its wielder. This was considered an utter outrage by the Elders, but as the weapon refused to accept a different wielder, or even leave her side, the point was effectively moot. As the chosen wielder of a legendary blade publicly acknowledged as a Longinus-class Legacy Weapon, not only could they not excommunicate her without losing the blade, but as the rightful wielder of a high tier Legacy Weapon, she was automatically qualified for the rank of Knight and a noble title of her own. As she entered the accelerated training program for Legacy Weapon wielders, it was already clear what title she would be given: "The Knight of Rebellion." Knight Angharad had gone from frustrated and desiring recognition to being infamous and having far more responsibility than she ever wanted. While the accelerated training program qualified her for Knighthood by the time she was sixteen, she was by no means ready for the power and responsibility that Knighthood entailed. Furthermore, seeking to keep her under control, the Elders forced her to continue to attend classes that the Janissaries who like her had been put in the accelerated program did not have to take. Ironically, what she had hoped for thinking that it would make people respect and like her wound up simply further alienating her. The next eight years were spent finishing up her classes or on inconsequential postings to keep her out of the way, and punctuated with betrothal proposals from the same Noble Families who had pushed for her censure. At age twenty-four she and the rest of new-bloods in her class finished their vocational training as Knights, something that the Janissaries in their class had already completed four years ago, and finished the final stages of matrix inscription now that their bodies had reached full maturity. Once the full matrix was complete, her entire body from head to toe had been covered and the Paladin type enhancements had been applied. Immediately after she recovered from the process, she was given her first major posting as part of an attempt at outreach to the Soviet Union, which was at the time rapidly becoming a power on the global scale once more. The ambassadorship was dull, eventless, and was most likely designed to further marginalize her. In this it partially succeeded and partially failed. While it did keep her on the sidelines of the revitalized factional conflict between the Paladins and the Templars for a time, it also ended in 2027 with a running battle between herself, aided by the other Knights at the embassy and the Soviet KGB, and one of the Soviet Union's periodical rampaging metahumans. The battle, later known as the Third Leningrad Metahuman Insurgency, saw a detachment of the Knights Illuminor, headed by a Legacy Weapon wielder, go up against a metahuman in a populated area for the first time since the height of the Metahuman Uprisings. During the battle two Knights were killed, but no civilians suffered serious injury despite the property damage, which was attributed to the rigorous anti-metahuman drills common in the USSR, and also to Angharad engaging and killing the metahuman personally in the midst of a conflagration that consumed an entire city block. For the heroism of all involved, those who fought were awarded the Order of Lenin, but after the ceremonies, they were asked to leave while the Embassy was rebuilt. After she returned from the Soviet Union, she encountered a Phoenix hatchling that been attracted to the flames of her sword and wound up lost and unable to find its way back to its nest. Angharad kept it alive through the cold welsh winter via the continuous use of a low-level fire ars, and it wound up coming back to her even after it had grown enough to live on its own. Defying her expectations, her gaining a phoenix as a pet sparked very little reaction from anyone, as apparently the previous wielders of her blade often raised phoenixes themselves. Out of spite for the Elders who had tormented her during her years as a page, she named it Asherah, after the consort of Yahweh who had been violently excised from the Abrahamic religions when they fell under the control of the patriarchy. Paladin Being honored by a foreign power prompted a shift in Angharad's life almost as large as bonding with her weapon had. Aside from being promoted to full Paladin and having her matrix inscription enhanced with more powerful enchantments befitting the rank, for her conduct during the incident, she was "honored" with being put on the shortlist for deployment as a liaison to other powers, as she had apparently done well with the last one. Despite such attempts, however, her old adversaries found that her surge of popularity meant that she couldn't be marginalized as much anymore, and for a time she considered that a good thing before she discovered once more the consequences of fame. She suddenly was no longer a political embarrassment in the Knights Illuminor, but a political tool for one faction or another. Chiefly, she became a symbol to rival the Archwright for the younger generation and his counterpart in the Paladins faction. During the next two years, she retreated into the forge and training yards, further studying swordswomanship and learning the high artisan crafts of masterwork smithing and enchanting while avoiding public appearances and eschewing statements that would be considered political. In 2029, as part of the ongoing outreach program between the Knights Illuminor and the ULC, she and her chief rival were sent to assist in Union Falls after the incident that had devastated the city. She was delayed in leaving due to having to finish her artisan certification but soon followed her rival to the United States, where she found that, as had become typical, she was being assigned to the sidelines as part of Liberators 830-B as a placating gesture to the Templars who had become hostile to her even as the younger Paladins had stopped being the same. Personality Tanwyn Angharad is a rather cheerful and free spirited individual, with a fiery temper and a very sarcastic sense of humor. Her friends describe her as someone who doesn't exactly have a filter between her brain and her mouth, though they were divided on whether that is deliberate or not. Her detractors call her an iconoclastic wench who wants to destroy all the traditions that make the Knights Illuminor great. They would both be right to varying degrees. Tanwyn is of the opinion that there's no use in being sad, it distracts one from doing constructive things. Better to laugh, or do nothing at all. This results in someone who seems a bit out of sync and a bit too carefree in situations that would normally induce morose seriousness. She treats fights with most foes as something to look forward to, especially enjoying fighting with traditional wizards, which she finds amusing and fun. The only time she has been seen dropping her levity in favor of grimness is when she is dealing with metahumans, who she treats like walking time bombs that need to be defused permanently by whatever means necessary, peaceful or otherwise. Tanwyn, though she outwardly takes pride in her Noble Title "The Knight of Rebellion," actually hates it for what it represents. Though bonding with her sword made her eligible for a title, it was completely unheard of for a squire to be actually given their Noble Title just for bonding with a Legacy Weapon because Titles are permanent and cannot be changed by anyone except the Lord and Magus of The Mantle themselves. Almost always one is not given their title until they have been a fully fledged Knight for years and have committed a deed worth recognizing. Giving her a title based on her rebellious antics while in seminary was essentially saying that she'd never amount to anything more than that, even with her Legacy Weapon. Tanwyn enjoys smithing, enchanting, listening to music, and reading history. Some would say that annoying her friends is one of her favorite pastimes. She is rarely seen without her Phoenix companion Asherah, whom she is careful to take exceptional care of. Powers and Abilities Powers * Ars Magus: '''A rune based form of magecraft practiced by the Paladins of Illuminor, and her primary form of thaumaturgy. Having trained from a very young age to use it to its full potential, and combined with the matrices etched into her very body, she is extremely skilled at its use to the point that she can use the normally unwieldy art in combat. ** '''Paladin Type Body Enhancement Matrix: Angharad, like all full-fledged Paladins, has a runic matrix covering the entirety of her body, etched into her flesh in the form of wire-thin scars. This matrix enhances her body to levels beyond that of normal humans, and includes submatrices for durability, accelerated healing, strength, and enhanced senses, among other things. Her matrix has an entire submatrix dedicated to rendering her resistant to temperature extremes, as was crucial if she was going to wield her blade. This does, however, mean that her physical enhancements are not as effective as those of other Paladins. ** Ally of the Flame: Due to having a phoenix as a familiar, wielding a Legacy Weapon that is infamous for its pyrokinetic capabilities, and her own skill and training since she was a young teen, if there is one area of Ars Magus that she has mastered to the point of instinct it would be that of Agnikinesis. Her fine control with it is such that she can offhandedly spot weld the inner mechanisms of a pistol without ever touching it, and quite often uses flames themselves to form the runes she uses as a medium for her other ars. Furthermore, inspired by her familiar, she has developed a matrix that draws on the heat energy from fire to boost her own abilities further. Abilities * Forgemistress: '''Angharad has been certified as a master artisan smith, and can forge quality items, armor, and weapons suitable for use in serious combat. Her magecraft enhanced smithing techniques produce equipment vastly superior to what normally would be possible through the archaic methods she has been taught. * '''Runic Enchantress: '''Angharad has also been certified as a master artisan enchantress, and is capable of both applying the ancient runic arrays of the Knights Illuminor, and creating her own for both enchanting the items she creates or for combat purposes. * '''Weapons of Antiquity: '''Angharad has trained with a sword and other various medieval weapons since a very young age. She has basic proficiency with the majority of European schools of fighting that use such weapons, though she doesn't care for archery at all. For some reason, she's better with bladed weapons... ** '''Beloved of the Sword: Angharad was chosen by a Longinus-class ensiform Legacy Weapon at a young age, and has trained with it incessantly ever since. The sword is almost literally attached to her, and will not leave her presence at any time. As a result of long experience, with sparring and dueling using, training with, and often having to dodge it flying at her, she has an incredible instinct for swordplay that borders on the uncanny, and goes right into the supernatural when she is wielding the blade that chose her. * Discernment of the Ostracized: '''Angharad has been on the outskirts of society all her life to one degree or another, and has lived in a world where everyone is trying to take advantage of everyone else for years. She is very good at telling when she is being misdirected or lied to, due to her long experience with both. * '''The Overlooked Warrior: '''Angharad, as part of being deliberately marginalized and manipulated, has never been taken truly seriously. Everyone has seen something different, depending on the situation, based on their own preconceptions. Her easygoing personality and hatred of fame compound the problem, and this together results in people consistently underestimating her to the point that she underestimates herself. Equipment * '''Templar Tendencies: Angharad has a few friends in the Templar faction who taught her a bit about modern weapons and how to incorporate them into the old traditions. She is mostly competent with pistols and rifles, but isn't the best shot with either, and tends to use them as sidearms at most. She prefers to add blades to her guns, which is a bit odd... ** Dual Bladed Revolvers: '''Horrifically impractical as a close range weapon, but at least gives the option of using them to parry, these pistols rely on rune matrices on the frame, the cylinder, and the bullets themselves to increase their stopping power and versatility. The latter two are completely interchangeable, thus aiding in that. They're not exactly the most effective weapons, but Angharad likes them. ** '''Rifle Gunblade: Another example of a weapon that does two things but doesn't fit either role well, this rifle is about the length of a shortsword, has a long blade along the length of its underside that extends forward of the muzzle like a fixed bayonet, and fires ammunition similar to her pistols, but bigger and more accurate. Uses rune matrices to enhance its ability beyond its unwieldy nature, but she only really uses it so she has a conventional long-range option that doesn't directly involve magecraft, and so she can't get caught flatfooted in melee if someone sneaks up on where she is shooting from. * The Paladin of the Faint Smile ** Athame: '''The traditional channeling device of the Knights of Illuminor, and rumored to be in actuality Descendant Weapons themselves. This one was created by Angharad as her first true creation as a Squire, and has served her well for years as her primary channeling device. It is designed to work with the Ars Magus form of magecraft, and does so seamlessly, allowing for quickly inscribing runes with little preparation necessary. ** '''Pridwen: '''Named for the alleged shield of Arthur, this customized suit of Paladin armor has been modified to suit Angharad's fighting style perfectly. It provides boosts to her already elevated abilities and serves a function similar to power armor. Also has its own Areum phial, and can be used as a channeling device, if an imprecise one. ** '''Descendant of Durendal: '''A Descendant Weapon of the sword of Roland, a Longinius-class Legacy Weapon with a powerful affinity for cutting power, durability, and force enhancement. As a Descendant, it possesses a part of this power. Part of a set that is issued to all Titled Paladins ** '''Descendant of Svalinn: '''A Descendant Weapon and pair to the previous one, its Longinius-class Legacy Weapon possesses a powerful affinity for magical disruption, force negation, and elemental protection, which this Descendant shares to a lesser degree. * '''The Knight of Rebellion ** 'Laevateinn: '''A Longinius-class Legacy Weapon bound to Angharad. This blade dates back to the end of the Northern Crusades themselves when it was forged from of several captured Elven Legacy Weapons, along with the broken pieces of one wielded by the Knights Teutonic since the very beginning of the crusade. While it could have once been a Damocles-class, it was lost after The Second World War and suffered degradation from lack of care in a deep vault and a lack of a wielder to reinforce and add to its resonance. This has resulted in the other weapon forged at this time and still used to this date to outstrip it on the path to rising to the next teir and there is some question whether it ever will attain that level now, or will it continue to degrade as the years pass it by. Angharad almost never draws the blade as the required control and skill necessary to not immolate the surrounding area with its naked blade is at the moment beyond her, and to date she has only drawn it outside of training once. This hampers her potential effectiveness in combat, and prevents her from matching the other Longinius-class wielders in the Knights Illuminor. *** It has an overwhelming affinity for fire and heat manipulation elemental magic, and cannot be used for other forms of conventional magecraft at all, but in return for that sacrifice when it comes to Agnikinesis its power has no equal even among Legacy Weapons, and once having fully drawn it Angharad can effectively seize control of the surrounding temperature, including all fire in the area, even fire created by other wizards, through simple brute force and power. It can be used for Ars Magus with a bit of difficulty (the runes have to be formed from its flames) due to that subset primarily involving runes, which there are numerous matrices of etched into its blade, hilt, and sheath. It is known for being both very critical and very decisive when choosing its wielders, asit has often gone a decade or so without a wielder, and when it bonds to one it bonds for the rest of their lives. Among its numerous activation triggers is one related to the distance between itself and its wielder, and the length of time since the wielder last touched it. This trigger being activated results in the sword igniting and moving towards its wielder of its own accord, sometimes at high velocity much to Angharad's chagrin. *** The sheath of Laevateinn is considered to be almost part of it, as the blade itself is very rarely drawn. Ancient and covered in runic matrices, the sheath has been enchanted with warding, repair, and force manipulation ars to protect both the sword and its wielder. The latter of those is the sole reason why Angharad has not been killed by her own sword during one of its numerous high-speed attempts to return to her side. ** 'Asherah: '''A phoenix familiar that has bonded herself to Angharad. Asherah was named for the consort of Yahweh, and lives up to that name through looking majestic and noble on her companion's shoulder or flying above her while in battle. The phoenix's personality, however, is anything but regal, as she enjoys roosting in her unfortunate companion's hair, and dragging Laevateinn away from said companion to prompt the blade to ignite and bathe the bird in the fire that attracted it to Angharad in the first place. Angharad sometimes wonders if Asherah is bonded to her or Laevateinn... Relationships Current Allies * Asherah * The Mantle of the Bright Star * United Liberators Coalition ** Unified Command *** Anthony Griffins (Temporary superior) ** Liberators-830B *** Camden Kolt *** Kaitiaki *** Katyusha *** Charlie Lang *** Norlar *** Siegfried Peters *** Peter Prilv *** Alder Thornwick ** Liberators-830A (Likes those she has met so far.) *** Marcus Tristan (Former rival, has since been transferred to L-830A) * Union Falls Police Department Current Enemies * Skull Crushers Category:Knights Illuminor Category:Liberators